General News
10 October, 2022
Long and happy life chalked up to staying active
Much like his drawings, Thomas ‘Chalky’ Chalk has had a colourful and quirky life and has no regrets, which he reckons is pretty good coming up to his 90th birthday. Born on October 14, 1932, Chalky is a well known character in the area and...
Much like his drawings, Thomas ‘Chalky’ Chalk has had a colourful and quirky life and has no regrets, which he reckons is pretty good coming up to his 90th birthday.
Born on October 14, 1932, Chalky is a well known character in the area and might be best known for the old ute he used to get around town in, covered in stickers and drawings from his travels around the country with his partner, Joyce, who celebrated her 77th birthday on October 7.
An avid traveller all his life, Chalky admitted he was never able to stay in the one spot for too long.
“I’ve never been a person who’s settled down somewhere, I always had wanderlust,” he said.
“Most people would probably recognise the ute we used to get around in, we went all around Australia in that thing.
“We did a couple of trips around and it was great, everyone should travel.”
Life for Chalky began in the small town of Mareeba in far north Queensland, where he grew up alongside his three brothers.
Reflecting on his almost 90 years of life, Chalky remembered his time in Mareeba well, particularly during the Second World War.
“My 90 years has been a long road, it goes back to WWII ,” he said.
“We lived in Mareeba in far north Queensland during the war and there was a big army camp across the road from our house.
“They used to keep us well supplied with bully beef and fantails but in those days you couldn’t go into the army camp because of the war and we were only kids anyway.
“I remember the barbed wire entanglements that ran right around the perimeter of the army camp and it was a double layer.
“We went back to Mareeba a few years back and found my old house and where the army camp used to be, now there’s a huge housing development right on top of it. It’s interesting how things change.”
Since the 1950s Chalky has been drawing loose line cartoons, something he continues to do almost daily.
“I started drawing like that because it fascinated me and I’ve been doing it since before the 1950s,” he said.
“There’s no straight lines, if I wanted to draw a straight line I’d use a ruler but because they don’t have straight lines, they have character.
“I can knock the drawings out an hour a piece and it’s something I really enjoy.
“During our travels I always loved going to the outback and to the Aboriginal missions and communities and teaching the kids airbrushing and art.”
Inbetween his travels and drawings, Chalky has found plenty of other activities and hobbies to keep him occupied, ranging from raising his children to prospecting for gold.
“In 2000 I went with four others to Pine Creek, south of Darwin, and I won the Northern Territory Gold Panning Championship and I won the over 65’s award in the same week,” he said.
“I was a fourth class scuba diver regulated to about 120 feet and I was with the Queensland Underwater Research Group for seven years as a hobby.
“I was a motor mechanic in New Guinea back in the 1960s and spent five years around the island.
“I have had a very interesting life and I have no regrets, Joyce and I are very happy.”
Ahead of his birthday this Friday, Chalky, who still drives around and is highly active, said the secret to longevity is activity.
“The secret is to stay active all your life, I always have and I still am,” he said.